COSCH Case StudiesCOSCH Case Studies

Seven case studies implementing 3D spatial and spectral documentation of material cultural heritage were realised in 2015 and 2016. The aim of these case studies is to offer in-depth investigation, enabling a good understanding of selected techniques and processes in 3D spatial and spectral documentation, applied to a particular cultural heritage object or site.

White Bastion

The fortification known as „White Bastion" is one of the most impressive and important historical sites in Sarajevo. It is located on the southeast outskirts of the City, with an overview on the city valley. During the history it had a very significant and strategic position. The fortification is a part of the dominant defence walls that were surrounding the old city of "Vratnik".

The value of the historical site presents the various strata, starting from medieval until the present time. During the archaeological excavations there were found the remains from medieval fortification from 14th century, Ottomans period (17th century) when the fortification was expanded and some new objects were built. During Austro-Hungarian rule the part of the fortification and the object inside the walls were demolished and destroyed and a new group of objects was built. During the early excavation, a significant number of artefacts was found, registered and conserved for the purpose of the exhibition hosted in Museum of Sarajevo.

Visualization of White Bastion's appearance from 3 time periods will be used for introducing the cultural heritage professionals and general public with this valuable object and its history. It will also show the power of digital technologies in preservation and presentation of cultural heritage.

We believe that the use of different modern surveying technologies will provide us more information about early stage of fortification. Using 3D-visualization we will be able to follow the "growth" of the fortification through history. Creating a 3D model where different historical stages of the object are overlapping, will fill the gaps in our understanding of the object's history. Methodology we plan to use in achieving the goals of the project includes advanced high fidelity 3D modelling of the Fortress object in all three time periods, converting the model into the interactive form presentable online using 3D web players such as Unity and combining the digital stories about the model with its geometry in a form of an interactive digital storytelling application. Virtual reconstruction will be accompanied with 3D models of the artefacts that were found on the site and interactive digital storytelling about the use of the fortification will bring closer heritage to habitant and to the next generations.